Thanksgiving’s comin’ up ’round the corner, so I figured I put up a little something about turkey and stuff. Check it out:
A 12lb turkey at the grocery store costs $13.50 and feeds 8 people. A pint of potato salad costs $3.50 per pint, and one pint can feeds about 3 people. A large can of yams is on sale for $4, and that feeds 5 people. Finally, a pumpkin pie feeds about 6 people and costs $4.99. Paula is shopping for Thanksgiving and is planning on having 16 guests, including herself. How much will it cost to make sure there is enough of each item for everyone?
This is the kinda question that shows how Math can be practical for everyday use, right? I’ve never bought thanksgiving dinner myself, but sometimes you get some friends comin’ over for some pizza and beers, and you gotta know how much to buy for everyone (and how much you charge them at the door).
So first thing I gotta do here is write out all the information, to make sure I get what they’re askin’.
Paula’s got 16 people comin’ for dinner. First I gotta break down the problem and see how many people each type of food feeds. I’ll make a quick list.
12lb Turkey – $13.50 – Feeds 8
Potato Salad – $3.50 – Feeds 3
Yams – $4.00 – Feeds 5
Pumpkin – $4.99 – Feeds 6
Once I got all this information laid out, it’s pretty simple to figure things out:
The turkey feeds 8, and we know that 8 × 2 is 16, so that’s easy. She needs 2 turkeys. That’s $27.
A pint of potato salad feeds 3, so she’d need 6 pints to feed 16 since 3 × 6 = 18. 3 × 5 is only 15, and that wouldn’t be enough salad for everyone. So then I gotta times 6 × 3.50 to get $21
She’d need 4 cans of yams, so that’s $16, and 3 pumpkin pies. That’s $14.97. Usually I’d just round the pie up to $5, which makes it an easy $15, but since we gotta have the exact answer here, I can’t do that. So adding up all those answers, I got $78.97. Damn, that’s expensive. And it ain’t even including no drinks. See, that’s why I never have no Thanksgiving at my place. Gotta clean it all up too, no way. I just go out to a buffet and pay like ten bucks for all I can eat. That’s how you do it, yo.
Have a good Thanksgiving y’all.
For more information about the GED test and GED test preparation, visit the GED Academy at http://www.passGED.com
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8 users responded in this post
Hey Curtis, how did you know that Paula was having only 16 people? Why arent there 17 people if she is having 16 guests?
Hey Marlie, that’s a good question.
If you read the question, it says “…planning on having 16 guests, including herself.” That is kinda hard to tell if she havin’ 16 or 17 people over. But it says “including herself,” which means that she’s a part of the 16. If it said somethin’ like, “plus herself” or “not including herself,” then it’d be 17.
Hey Curtis, I what is the best web site to get more Practice Multi-step math WORD PROBLEM
Yo Christina,
Here’s a bunch of word problems you can practice with.
The “Math Playground” link Here’s a bunch of word problems is O.K. for lower skills, such as addition and subtraction word problems, but is there another link for the tougher stuff, for practice sake, like algebra word problems.
What up, Dwain? Here’s a site with some more difficult word problems:
http://www.purplemath.com/modules/index.htm
You gotta scroll down a little to find the word problem section. Good luck, man.
I checked out the site. The word problems look a bit tough. Should make for some good practice. I feel I could pass the GED now, but I would feel safer with more practice. I think I’ll get her down! I’ll tell you what; it’s been a tough ride on catching up to school work. I missed a lot in high school. Wish I had finished. I’ll feel a lot better when I get the GED out of the way. Things are getting tough in the job world, and a GED is a necessity today. When I was young and in my prime, a GED or High school diploma was not necessary. Today you gotta have it.
That be the truth, D-man. I bet you’ll pass it no problem. Your writing skills look good, and if you keep practicing with those tough word problems, it’s gonna be cake for you. Good luck!
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